Study Links Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) During Pregnancy to Congenital Heart Defect

According to a new study, pregnant women who had a urinary tract infection are more likely to have a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome than are pregnant women who didn't have a urinary tract infection. The study is very important because little is known about what causes hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a rare congenital heart defect. The condition results in an underdeveloped left side of the heart. Babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome are not able to properly circulate oxygen-rich blood. Without treatment, the condition will inevitably result in death, usually within hours or days. The exact cause of hypoplastic left heart syndrome has yet to be determined. Research on the subject often contradicts itself. In many cases, it appears to be genetic. However, environmental factors are thought to play a role in cases where there is no family history of heart disease.

In the study, researchers evaluated data collected by The National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The data included information from nearly four-thousand mothers of infants with congenital birth defects and nearly five-thousand mothers of infants without birth defects. Researchers found that women who had a urinary tract infection anytime from one month before conception to the end of the first trimester had an increased risk of having an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In fact, they were seventy percent more likely to have an infant with the defect than were women who didn't have a urinary tract infection during that time period. Researchers found that the results held true when independent factors such as race, maternal age, and nutritional intake were accounted for.

Experts are not sure why there appears to be a link between maternal urinary tract infections and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The study actually contradicts some of the most recent research that suggests that the condition is almost entirely genetic. Experts now believe that hypoplastic left heart cannot be entirely genetic. There are obviously other factors that play into the development of the condition, but what are they? This is an important question that needs to be answered. Hundreds of infants die from hypoplastic left heart syndrome each year. Currently, the only treatment is surgery or a heart transplant. However, both of the treatments carry risks themselves and many infants die as a result. If researches are able to pinpoint the cause of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, there may be a cure and/or treatment can be improved.

Obviously, more research needs to be done. In the meantime, experts urge that pregnant women who think they have a urinary tract infection seek treatment. Often times, women do not even know they have in infection. That is why frequent urine testing is important. If cases of urinary tract infections are detected and treated early on, cases of hypoplastic left heart syndrome may decrease.

Source

HealthDay